Leisure and Culture, Outdoor Recreation -Ariel Cassidy
white water rafting picture.jpg|White Water Kayaking|linktext=McCoy, Shane T. " White water kayaking competition". Web. 4 Oct 2003. hiking picture.jpg|Hiking|linktext=Gorkaazk. "Basque old house". Web. 1 Apr 2010. Scuba Diving picture.jpg|Scuba Diving|linktext=Mitchell, Greg. "...Scuba Diving Experience and Training class". Web. 14 Dec 2007. ROCKCLIMBING.jpg|Rock Climbing|linktext=Kunstee. "Klettern im Ith 01". Web. 6 Sep 2005. 'Outdoor Recreation' Georgia Outdoor Recreation Program or Gorp is the head program for outdoor activity at Uga. It is ran through UGA's Ramsey Recreational Center. Students refer to the Recreational Center as the “Rec Center” or “Ramsey”. Gorp is great in that it provides a number of activities that allow students to experience the outdoors. Many of the programs available would be much pricier outside of the college spectrum, but Gorp provides trips that are great for a college student's budget (Recreational Sports-About the Program). 'How to get to Ramsey Recreational Center' UGA offers an excellent transportation system. Orbit, East West, Ag Hill, and East Campus Express buses all take students near Ramsey. Although there is no stop directly at Ramsey, students can go to either the Joe Frank Harris Commons Dining Hall stop or to the next one at the Health Center. Both stops are close to Ramsey. Signing up for trips Sign-ups for trips are at Ramsey’s Cashier Window from 9am to 6pm, Monday-Friday. Wait lists are available for trips that are already full (Clinic-Outdoor Adventure 101 Fact Sheet). 'Examples of Popular Gorp Activities' 'Rock Climbing' In this activity, a person climbs up either a natural surface or one embedded with man-made materials (such as rubber rocks). The Recreational Center provides indoor and outdoor climbing areas (Gorp Activity Descriptions). Both have multiple parts for the differing levels of climbing experience. Participants must take a 3 hour Climbing Orientation Clinic before being allowed to use the walls. Gorp also provides trips to climb on natural outdoor surfaces (Climbing Wall). Free Climbing Days The rec center provides four days every fall semester where students are given the opportunity to try climbing for free. Many have found this to be a great way to experience wall climbing before deciding to buy a climbing pass (Climbing Wall). 'Instructional Classes' Participants must take a three hour Climbing Orientation Clinic before using the walls (Climbing Wall). The Rec Center also provides a Climbing Movement Clinic which teaches beginners and experts alike how to better scale the walls (Climbing Movement Clinic Fact Sheet). 'Hiking' Hikers walk on trails that are usually outdoors. Trails may be level or may consist of hills. The ground type may be softer and easier to walk on or uneven and full of many rocks. Gorp has trips for any level of hiker, from beginner to expert. They offer one day hikes or trips that put together hiking and camping, called backpacking. Backpacking requires hikers to carry all of their gear (including a tent) with them on the trails (Gorp Activity Descriptions). 'Examples of Gorp Hiking Trips' A hike around the Tallulah George. Day trip. $25 for UGA students (Gorp Tallulah Gorge State Park Trip Profile). Backpacking trip on the Chattooga River Trail. Two day trip. $60 for UGA students (Gorp Chattooga River Trail Trip Profile). 'Free Hiking around UGA Campus' There are trails near Lake Herrick (by the intermural fields) which are free to hike on and are known for their beautiful scenery. Pets are allowed on the trails and many people choose to bring them along (Lake Herrick). 'Instructional Classes' Ramsey provides classes to better prepare participants for hiking/backpacking trips. These include Outdoor Adventures 101 Clinic or the Introductory Backpacking Clinic. Both are held once a semester (Gorp Outdoor Adventure 101 Fact Sheet, Gorp Introductory Backpacking Clinic). 'Whitewater Kayaking ' This activity is done in one or two person kayaks on moving water. Like many of the activities that GORP offers, this sport caters to all experience levels (Gorp Activity Descriptions). While not as well known as its popular cousin, whitewater rafting, this form of kayaking provides the same adrenalin pumping fun as well as great exercise. 'Instructional Classes' Whitewater Kayak Roll Clinic Instructs beginners on the basic techniques needed to succeed in white water kayaking such as paddle strokes and rolling (Gorp Whitewater Kayak Roll Clinic Fact Sheet). 'Red and Black Article- Whitewater Kayaking' According to one of the troop leaders for the clinic, Whitewater kayaking clinics are hard to come by and when they are available they are usually very expensive. Gorp offers a cheap and accessible way to learn this sport. The first parts of the clinic is held at the Ramsey pool. Then kayakers progress to a lake and then finally a river on they last day. Many people who take the clinic are happy they did and are proud to have learned a new skill (Ride the Rapids in Kayaking Courses). 'Scuba Diving/Snorkeling' In this activity, a diver wears a wetsuit with an attached oxygen container which allows him/her to stay underwater for extended periods of time. While scuba diving is often used for research purposes, it has also become a very popular recreational activity (Gorp Activity Descriptions). Instructional Classes The Ramsey offers Beginning Scuba Diving classes. They are $170 dollars but are well worth the amount of scuba diving experience a participant will gain. They last almost a month and are during the spring. The classes are held three days a week with three and a half hour sessions (Beginning Scuba Diving Fact Sheet). Requirements: -Swimming ability is a must. -All sessions must be attended (Beginning Scuba Diving Fact Sheet). Cost includes: -Book -Certification through PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) (Beginning Scuba Diving Fact Sheet). P.E. Credit Gorp offers classes where students not only learn an outdoor activity, they also receive course credit for it. One hour of PE credit is required by UGA and this one of the most adventurous way to complete that (PE Credit Study Abroad). PEDB 1090-Outdoor Adventure Activities (1 Credit Hour) Covers many of the basic outdoor activities. Requires 25 hours of participation in Gorp Trips. Five extra hours will be in a classroom setting. Students must pay for all the Gorp trips they go on (PE Credit Study Abroad). PEDB 1070- Ropes Course (1 Credit Hour) Students will learn about the different ropes courses that UGA offers. Learning about individual leadership styles is also part of the course. Students can use this course to acquire a paid job working as a ropes course instructor (PE Credit Study Abroad). Study Abroad Study abroad trips to Costa Rica and Australia include a PE course worth 1 credit (PE Credit Study Abroad). Acquiring Equipment Ramsey Recreational Center provides the ORC (Outdoor Recreation Center). It contains a rental center and a shop. Rental Center The ORC rental center allows students to borrow the items necessary for their trips. Many student choose to do this because the other option of buying the equipment themselves is very expensive. They offer anything from kayaks to wetsuits for scuba diving (Outdoor Rec Center). Shop The ORC shop has everything students need for the many different trips GORP puts on. They provide a lot of camping accessories such as batteries and fire sticks, but also have a variety of items for other activities, such as nose plugs for diving (ORC Shop). Works Cited Corbett, Kelly. "Ride the Rapids in Kayaking Courses." Red and Black. The Red and Black Publishing Company Inc., 07 Sept. 2010. Web. 05 Nov. 2011. . Department of Recreational Sports. Web. 08 Nov. 2011. . Category:Leisure and Culture